Sunday, January 29, 2017

Post Phoenix Marathon and Onward

After taking a much deserved week off, and this past week of easy trotting around to reflect more clearly on my performance from the 2017 Rock n Roll Arizona Marathon, I've decided I need to jot some things down. I know my performance of 2:35:37 isn't much to write home about compared to my previous times, but it was an all-out effort and a stride in the right direction as I set my sights on faster times to come this year. After toeing the line in Arizona and coming across the finish, I was pleased to feel stronger and fitter than the abysmal effort that occurred in Boston last year (I don't even like to mention that marathon). Honestly, I wasn't ready to run a marathon in Boston, so I set my sights on Arizona as a lower key race to get the wheels back.

As I look back at my training, I know I could have done more... we always think we can do more. And I feel it was enough for my body at the time. Now, I know I can start to push the envelope a little more for a spring marathon, and reevaluate the training that proceeds that race. I am not getting any younger, and perhaps my best marathon days are behind me, but there is still a carrot leading me to accomplish a huge goal, and that would be to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. Those standards came out earlier this year and they seem within reach, even for this old man. It's truly a privilege and honor to be able to just run freely. I never seem to forget how quickly it can disappear, or how we can take it for granted. All I have to do is step out the door and enjoy the freedom of being outside. It's a gift, and I don't want to take it for granted. And with that gift, comes a small personal goal.

With the right attitude and smarter training, a sub 2:19:00 is within striking distance. It sure is easy to talk about, or write about, so in the meantime I'll just focus on improving upon my most previous marathon time and strive for something in the 2:20s this spring. Right now, I feel excited to train more effectively for a spring race, and hopefully I make another step in the right direction. As for my training for Arizona, I was able to accomplish the following:

- Over the course of 15 weeks, I only averaged 55 miles a week
- Over the course of those 15 weeks, I averaged 6 miles of tempo runs a week
- Longest run was 23 miles
- Cross trained twice a week for the duration of 15 weeks

After looking at that raw data... there's plenty of room for improvement and more importantly, HOPE.